


Got You With Me

by catnip



Category: Power Rangers
Genre: Childhood Friends, Comfort, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:35:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23094943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catnip/pseuds/catnip
Summary: Rocky always had a way of rescuing Adam from himself. Or, 5 times Rocky was there when Adam needed him.
Relationships: Rocky DeSantos/Adam Park
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	Got You With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a gift for a friend, and for anyone else out there suffering in rare pair hell. This might not be my usual pairing but I hope I did them enough justice for you to enjoy :)

**1.**

"Aw, the little baby gonna cry? Cry baby, cry baby!"

Adam balled his fists at his side, trying to hold the scowl on his face as best he could. He knew staring them down wasn't going to change anything, but he didn't want to give them the satisfaction of being right.

But despite how hard he tried, he could feel the tears well up in his eyes. He didn't want to care about the stupid things they said. Stupid, stupid-

"Hey, who are you calling a baby? You still eat your own boogers, Preston!"

"What?! I do not-"

A voice called from behind them, and as they all turned to look - Adam confused, and Preston and his little gang infuriated - a red dodge ball came sailing across the park. And it slammed right into the legs of the ringleader.

"Ow!"

"Booger eater, booger eater," the boy who has thrown the ball called, mocking the earlier song that had been directed at Adam. 

"I don't eat boogers!" Preston howled, horrified, as the group around him began to look at him skeptically. "Whatever!" 

He stomped off, Adam now forgotten, his friends reluctantly following in tow as they exchanged questioning glances between them. How quickly allegiances could shift on the playground.

With the group safely dispersed, the boy that had intervened jogged over, scooping his ball back up. "You okay?"

"Um, yeah." Adam tried to hide his sniffle as he wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "I'm fine. They don't usually do anything, they just…. say stuff."

The boy frowned at him. "That's not cool."

Adam shrugged. "I'm used to it."

That seemed to make the boy madder. With a huff, he tossed the ball toward Adam, his throw a lot gentler this time. Adam caught it, barely. "Come on, you can come play with me and my friends. Do you like kickball?"

The boy didn't wait for a reply, already running off toward another pack of kids that had been waiting and watching. Adam shook off his surprise and followed.

Adam found out that the boy's name was Rocky. He went to a different elementary school, but he was 7, just like Adam, and he liked martial arts and Voltron and came to this park most every Saturday. So Adam tried to come as often as he could too, after that.

**2.**

"What did you get for number 12?"

"Haven't gotten there yet, I'm only on 8."

"Okay, well tell me when you get to it. Cause I got one of the answer choices, but I think I did the equation the wrong way…"

"If you got one of the answers, I'm pretty sure that means you did it right."

"Maybe. Or it could just be a lucky fluke. That happens sometimes." Adam tapped his pencil eraser against the worksheet, nervous energy overflowing as he spoke. "Cause even if I get the right answer, if the math is wrong, the whole thing will be counted wrong. I have to make sure I did the problem right. And it feels like I did it wrong."

Rocky glanced up from his own work, looking at Adam now like he had suddenly started speaking gibberish halfway through talking; clearly a little baffled, his eyebrows pulled into a frown. "Dude. Relax."

"I can't! I-" Adam swallowed, reminding himself they were in the library. He did his best to lower his voice and reign in his frustration. A frustration that was directed completely at himself. "I have to get an A on this test. I have to. So I have to get it right."

He'd gotten a B on the last test. It was a high B, but his parents had been less than impressed. He swallowed again, the reminder of their disappointment burning in his throat. He'd get an A this time, and they'd be proud, and he wasn't going to be the kid who cried in the library over a math test. They were in middle school now. Crying was only for extra big losers. 

"Okay." Rocky's tone shifted, and Adam blinked, pulled out of his panic spiral by the change. Rocky approached most everything in life with a bit of humor, but that seemed to be gone now. He had gone calm and even, a counter to Adam's frazzled nerves. "Show me the problem and I'll see if you did it right."

"It's fine, I can wait until you're done."

Rocky rolled his eyes, reaching across the table to take Adam's paper himself. 

Math wasn't Rocky's strongest subject. Between the two of them, he'd be the first to say that Adam was better. But he spent the rest of the study session looking over the problems with him, the two of them going through them together and quelling every anxiety riddled question Adam had about how to do this or how to solve that. Reminding him that he knew what the hell he was doing after all. 

The test the next day was a breeze, and Adam was sure to proudly show off his A to Rocky, who seemed as happy about it as he was.

**3.**

"Maybe I should just quit."

"What? Quit? Come on Adam. It wasn't that big of a deal."

"We can't afford to make stupid mistakes, Rocky! Not in this job."

Adam got up from the table, stomping aimlessly away. Away from Rocky, this conversation, his own guilt. They'd been talking in circles for what felt like forever, and the more they did, the worse Adam felt. Not better.

" _Everyone_ makes mistakes. Even superheros. You need to read more comics." It was a joke, a poke to try and lighten the mood. But Adam was too worked up to laugh.

"It's been a few months, so maybe they can find someone else that's better for the job." Adam stood in the middle of Rocky's kitchen, arms crossed tight across his chest. Trying to squeeze himself enough to keep everything inside him from spilling out. "I'm just like, a temporary fill in. The real Black Ranger the team needs is out there."

"Are you for real?"

Rocky looked at him, expression pinched. Angry, somehow, though Adam didn't understand why. He could only shrug in response.

"Dude, if anyone is meant to be a Ranger, it's you. You've got the skills, and the smarts, and the heart." Rocky ticked off the list on his fingers for emphasis. "If you aren't Ranger material, no one is. We might as well all give up."

Rocky sounded fully convinced of every word, like Adam was a dummy for even making him argue about this. 

"You're just saying that-"

"Because it's true," Rocky cut in before Adam could give an excuse. He stared at him a moment, gaze almost too sharp, like he was challenging Adam to try and argue. Adam could feel a prickle go up the back of his neck at the attention. Then with the smallest sigh, Rocky stood up. "Like I said, everybody makes mistakes. And we've all got each others backs when we do. We're a team."

Rocky walked over and stopped in front of him, only the smallest step away.

" _I've_ got your back no matter what. If you won't trust yourself, at least trust me."

Adam could feel himself slowly start to relax. His shoulders loosened, arms drifting back down to his side. "I always do." He was surprised at how sincere the words came out. But he didn’t regret it.

Rocky went wide-eyed for a moment, and then it was his turn to cross his arms over his chest. Adam didn't miss the way his face went a little red, too. "Well, good. I'm glad."

They spent the rest of the day on Rocky's couch, playing video games and watching bad TV. And Adam didn't think about the fight or the Rangers even once; only about what was right beside him.

**4.**

“You comfortable?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Adam snuggled closer to Rocky’s side to make his point. They were laid out on Adam’s bed, wasting time. The plan for the day had been to go out and get something to eat, maybe wander the park for awhile. Nothing strenuous. Adam didn’t dare call it a date because the word still sent a whole swarm of butterflies off in his stomach. 

But Adam had woken up that day with a black cloud swirling around inside his head. He’d forced himself to get up and get ready, a feeling of trepidation following his every move. He tried to reason with himself; he hadn’t gotten to see Rocky, properly, in two days. He _wanted_ to see him and spend time with him. He missed him.

It really was some kind of gross irony that not long after the two of them had stopped playing games and fessed up to their feelings, Rocky had been injured and had to leave the team. Talk about poor timing.

But no matter how he reminded himself of this, he couldn’t shake the heavy feeling weighing him down.

Rocky had knocked on his door, and when he saw Adam, he had understood. He’d been able to read his mood just like that, years of knowing each other making it easy for him to tell that today wasn’t one of the good days. Adam didn’t know what he did to deserve that kind of understanding, but when Rocky casually offered that they stay in and take it easy, he was grateful for it.

He fiddled with a stray string at the neckline of Rocky’s t-shirt. This was still new, the closeness between them. But it felt right. Felt like something in him was slowly getting put back into place, the tension easing. Somehow, Rocky always had that effect on him.

**5.**

“Kinda sucks, doesn’t it?”

Adam nodded as he looked off into the distance without any real focus. They’d hiked the path up to now mostly in silence; Adam hadn’t really wanted to leave the house at all, but Rocky had insisted he needed to get some fresh air for a little bit. And he had never really been able to say no to him.

They’d stopped at an old weather-worn table meant for family picnics, a short break to rest their legs before they turned around and headed back. Before the day was totally gone and night took over. The sight of the vibrant orange sunset across the trees and craggy hills should have been beautiful, but Adam didn’t feel much of anything at all. It was only something to fix his gaze on because he was too chicken to look at Rocky.

“I can tell you it gets easier. It might not seem like it, but it does.”

Adam held back a sigh. “You don’t have to try and coddle me over it. I know I’m being… dramatic.”

“I’m not trying to coddle you.” Adam’s hand sat in the space between them, and Rocky took it in his, putting them palm to palm. “And I don’t think you’re being dramatic.”

“Right. Hiding away for over a week, wallowing in my own self pity-” Adam stopped himself. He could feel his emotions starting to get the best of him, and that was the last thing he wanted. He gripped Rocky’s hand tighter to try and calm himself down. “I knew it couldn’t last forever, but it feels like… I don’t know. What am I supposed to do now? Just be Adam Park, normal everyday guy?”

“Seems like a good idea to me,” Rocky said, bumping his shoulder into Adam’s, “I think that guy is pretty cool.”

“More like useless,” Adam retorted, tone sour.

“No way.” Rocky sounded a little more heated now as he spoke, a passion he wanted Adam to believe in his words, “I’ve known Adam Park, normal everyday guy, for most of my life now. And I can tell you that you were great even before you became a Ranger.”

“Maybe,” was all Adam could say, too tired and too adrift to argue. He leaned against Rocky and let go, let himself be held up for a moment as he closed his eyes. Let Rocky’s belief be enough for the both of them, for now.

“Stuff might change, but no matter what, you’ve got me. We’re always a team. Us against the world. Right?”

Adam smiled, small but there, as Rocky pressed a soft kiss against his temple. “Right.”

The way back was almost too dark to see by the time they started. But holding Rocky’s hand the whole way, Adam wasn’t afraid of getting lost.


End file.
